COMCARE

Homelessness

According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
there are 1,750,000 Americans homeless annually including:

Those experiencing mental illness

Working people living in poverty who cannot afford housing

Under-employed or under-trained people

Men, women and children of all ages

In a 2014 national
snapshot of homelessness taken one day in January, the Department of
Housing and Urban Development counted more than 600,000 individuals.
Locally, the snapshot of homelessness for Wichita/Sedgwick County’s annual point
in time reflected more than 600 individuals and families are literally homeless, living on the streets, in homeless shelters or transitional “temporary”
housing. Nationally, one-third of homeless individuals have a serious mental
illness; locally that percentage is higher.

Center City

What is Center City?

The Center City homeless program is managed
by COMCARE and connects individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental
illness and who are experiencing homelessness with professionals who can help
them manage their recovery. The goal of the program is to help these individuals
achieve mental health stability, obtain housing, and become employed so their
overall quality of life is improved.

Whom does this program serve?

Center City serves individuals who have a
serious mental illness and have lived in places not considered adequate shelter
or are receiving help through emergency shelters.

Which services are offered through this program?

Outreach - The Center City Outreach Team
goes onto the streets, under bridges, and into shelters to assess mental health
needs and connect individuals with mental health needs to appropriate services.

Permanent Housing - COMCARE works with
individuals experiencing homelessness, and severe and persistent mental illness,
helping them to access permanent housing and mental health services.
Center City operates three permanent housing programs for persons with a severe
and persistent mental illness and chronic homeless histories. Center City
also provides mental health services while helping consumers access other
permanent housing options such as Shelter Plus Care, Section 8 and Housing
First.

How are individuals connected to Center City?

Homeless individuals who have mental
health needs and are experiencing homelessness may visit Center City at 402
E. 2nd St., second floor in Wichita or call 660-7800.

Outreach efforts help identify
individuals who qualify for services and connect them to Outpatient and/or
Community Based Services providers.

COMCARE partners with many community
agencies, including law enforcement, to identify individuals who may qualify for mental health services.

Ending Chronic Homelessness

Task Force

A task force to end chronic homelessness was created in 2006 to assess and intervene in the factors
that contribute to homelessness in Wichita and Sedgwick County. They
continue their assessments and provide oversight to the programs below today.

SOAR Program

The free Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability (SSI/SSDI)
Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) program teaches case managers and others
who work with homeless adults about the SSI/SSDI application process. The goal
is to secure benefits for eligible individuals on the first application.

Housing First Program

This program provides homeless individuals with apartments first, and then
offers mainstream services. This approach allows individuals to experience
a stable environment while working on mental health and substance use issues.
Based upon their ability to pay, residents will pay up to 30 percent of their
income.

Oversight Committee

One of the five strategies in the task force's plan was to create an oversight committee,
with members being nominated by the city manager (Wichita) and the county
manager (Sedgwick County). These members oversee the programs put in place
through the task force. The members are:

Jack Focht - Chair

TJ Akin

Jean Hogan

Joe Rodriguez

Ben Grisamore

Janet Miller

Melissa Walker

If you would like to contact the oversight committee with any feedback or
thoughts, please email Jack Focht at
jfocht@foulston.com.

Mission: To assure quality public services that provide for the present and future well-being of the citizens of Sedgwick County.